Composers/arrangers for the Cistre
More than thirty collections of music were published between c.1770 and c.1790. Most of it was produced by just two people. Joseph Carpentier published at least ten collections between 1770 and c.1780. C.F.A. Pollet published perhaps eighteen collections of music during the 1770s and 1780s. Both of them wrote tutors (methodes) for the cistre too.
A Mr Demesse published one Recueil (in 1776). Pollet's younger brother, J.J.Benoit Pollet, published three Recueils D'Ariettes (for a cistre with extra basses). Mr Corsin published two collections and A.A.J. de Villers published one. Finally, Joseph Lefevre published 'A Concise Method for the cistre' in Britain around 1790.
This music all survives. Two other tutors don't seem to have survived; one by Rieter, a Methode tres facile pour la guitar angloise ou allemande' and one by Christophe Ungelter (or Unguelter), Vraie Methode fixe pour jouer de cistre ou guitharre allemande. In 1771 he is described as M. Ungelter Allemand, maitre de cistre...aussi appele cythare, guitarre allemande ou anglaise. One other publication that doesn't seem to have survived is by Guerrier, Sonates pour 2 cytres ou guitarres.
Joseph Carpentier is designated thus in his publications: Mr L'Abbe Carpentier Chanoine et Garde des Archives du Chapitre Royal du Louvre, amateur. Carpentier writes about the cistre, which he insists should be called, cythre (cytre). He writes about the origins of the instrument (as he sees it) in the first few pages of his Premier Recueil and in his two part Methode he describes in detail the construction of a cistre. He responds at great length to criticisms of his work by Christope Unguelter. Unguelter was promoting a tuning in C which Carpentier seem to think is only fit for a sick room.
More is known about C.F.A. Pollet (and brother Benoit). According to an 1811 Dictionaire, Charles Pollet (l'ainé) was born in Bethune and went to Paris in 1771. He published eighteen ouevres. He published Journals up to 1793 and retired to Evreux. Brother J.J.Benoit Pollet (le jeune) also played and composed for the cistre but, on the advice of Krumpholtz, abandoned it for the harp.